Neither the Kent State Golden Flashes nor the Akron Zips will be going bowling this season, but winning an in-state rivalry matchup late in the season could give both a spark. They'll go head-to-head during Tuesday night MACtion, and both head coaches could really use a win as they look to show signs of progress in their rebuilding jobs. The Zips are 2-8 on the season and 1-5 in the MAC under head coach Kenni Burns, while Kent State is 0-10 this year under Joe Moorhead and last in the MAC standings at 0-6. The Golden Flashes have won four of the last five head-to-head matchups but Akron still holds the 36-28-2 advantage in the all-time series.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Dix Stadium on CBS Sports Network. The Zips are favored by 10 points in the latest Kent State vs. Akron odds, down a half point from the opener, and the over/under is 48.5 points. Before entering any Akron vs. Kent State picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is a strong 21-15 on all top-rated picks over the past eight weeks of this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.
The model has set its sights on Kent State vs. Akron. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the Akron vs. Kent State:
- Kent State vs. Akron spread: Akron -10
- Kent State vs. Akron over/under: 48.5 points
- Kent State vs. Akron money line: Akron -376, Kent State +291
- Kent State vs. Akron picks: See picks here
- Kent State vs. Akron streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Kent State can cover
In addition to winning four of the last five matchups in this rivalry straight up, the Golden Flashes are 7-2-1 against the spread the last 10 times they've faced the Zips. It's been an undoubtedly tough season for Kent State in 2024, but it did manage to cover the spread last week as 31-point underdogs against Miami (OH).
Burns' squad is now 1-21 in his two years at the helm of the program, but the Golden Flashes did manage a push as 4-point underdogs last season in a 31-27 loss. Kent State limited Akron to 93.2 yards on the ground in that game and will have a chance to make the Zips one-dimensional again on Tuesday, as they only average 82 yards per game on the ground this season. See which team to pick here.
Why Akron can cover
It's also been a struggle for Akron, whose only wins in 2024 have come against Colgate and Eastern Michigan. However, the Zips have been competitive, losing by 13 points or fewer in each of their last five outings. They've covered the spread in three of those five contests.
Former NC State and California quarterback Ben Finley has thrown 2,160 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and top receiver Adrian Norton has 38 catches for 724 yards and seven touchdowns. The big-play threat (19.1 yards per reception) could pose major problems for a Kent State defense that is allowing 521.9 yards per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Kent State vs. Akron picks
The model has simulated Akron vs. Kent State 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning over and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Kent State vs. Akron, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Akron vs. Kent State spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that's up well over $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks since its inception, and find out.
